Under the Jerusalem Skies
Michael Rogatchi
About Michael Rogatchi
Michael Rogatchi is internationally acclaimed Jewish European artist who creates a substantial amount of work on various Jewish themes, from spiritual to cultural. He is the author of well-known Forefathers project curated by prof. Julia Weiner. The project is the unique in the history of art, according to prof. Weiner. Among his other Jewish-related projects, there are Jewish Melody, Zion Waltz, In the Mirror of Shoah, Daily Miracles, and the others. Michael’s works on Jewish heritage are in many notable collections world-wide, including private collections of Leonard Cohen, Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and many others. He is laureate of the New York Jewish Children’s Museum Special Award for Outstanding Contribution into the Arts and Culture, and other distinctions and awards. His exhibitions on Jewish theme were the first ones ever organised in Finland. Artist is living and working in Finland and Italy, having visiting Israel regularly and having many artistic and cultural charitable projects there. More information about the artist and his work can be found on his site – michaelrogatchi.com
About Under the Jerusalem Skies
Under the Skies of Jerusalem ( 2016), oil on canvas, 100 x 100 cm, is part of the artist’s Zion Waltz series which has been created following the request by the Israeli Ministry for Culture and National Council for Arts. The work’s relevancy to Shmita is its central image , symbolic olive tree of Eretz Israel, with its 12 olives symbolising the Tribes, and all the images in this painting, every of them symbolic: the bird symbolising Elijah, the lamb which at the same time is alef letter starting the Hebrew alphabet, sun which is one of the strongest symbols of Eretz Israel and has everything to do for plants thriving in the land. That’s why sun in the work is so gently embraced by the olive’s branches reminding of two human hands which are working on the land, and which are resting during Shmita year; the skies of Israel which is also restful and light during the Shmita year, and the faces of our people which are imprinted into the limestone of Jerusalem as a reminding us about previous generations living in Eretz Israel, and now in our memory.
